


and the words you want are out of reach

by oiyukis



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alibaba is his own worst enemy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 04:31:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2095878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oiyukis/pseuds/oiyukis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Summit; Alibaba follows Kouen back to the Kou Empire<br/>-<br/>While Alibaba doesn’t enjoy the Kou Empire as a whole, he doesn’t mind spending time with certain people in it – Kougyoku and…well, maybe just Kougyoku.</p>
            </blockquote>





	and the words you want are out of reach

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh, these losers. I've been meaning to write them for weeks and I'm just now getting around to it. Originally this was going to be a practice drabble for the modern au I'm writing ("My Big Fat Kou Wedding") but now it's 2k and I don't know what to do with myself.
> 
> I don't know if I properly captured Kougyoku or Ka Koubun, but I think I did okay with Alibaba? Either way, I appreciate constructive criticism!!
> 
> There's no real cursing or mature themes? So I left it rated G, but it's one of the few stories I have at such a low rating so I wonder if I'm just not a good judge of rating anymore, haha.

“I think…this is my favorite place in the capital.”

Alibaba is brought from his thoughts by Kougyoku’s wistful sigh and the rock of the small boat as she folds her arms over the ledge of the side. She’s sitting in the bed of the boat, legs hidden by her robes, chin resting on her pale fingers.

“This is?”

Kougyoku shoots him a brief, almost _annoyed_ look, though it softens quickly. “I told you we were coming to my favorite place.”

“Yeah.” Alibaba sits back as much as he’s comfortable doing. His experience with boats is limited to large ships made to hold dozens of people and travel far distances, not small rowboats barely able to hold two grown people. He feels like every move is tempting the wooden vessel to rock just far enough to toss out its inhabitants. “I thought this was how we were getting there.”

“Nope!” Kougyoku laughs, and it sounds like the high chime of a bell, and it makes Alibaba’s expression fall once again.

He wishes it was easier to be around Kougyoku, but now that he knows Sinbad can jump into her mind any time he wants, it’s more difficult to be open with her. He’s on edge, always wondering if his words are being unknowingly relayed to another set of ears.

“It’s nice out here,” Kougyoku continues, shifting around. “It’s the only lake around. I come here a lot…” Kougyoku trails off, glancing at Alibaba before turning her gaze to the tall bridge their boat is lazily drifting towards.

“It’s pretty.” He doesn’t know what else to say.

“Mm,” Kougyoku hums. “It’s my thinking spot,” she nods, “whenever I have things on my mind…which has been a lot recently.” She laughs, but this laugh doesn’t sound as genuine as her previous one.

To that, Alibaba can relate. Since his arrival in the Kou Empire, he’s done almost nothing _but_ think. (Did he make the right decision, following Kouen after the summit instead of Aladdin? What was going to come of this so-called alliance? What were Kouen’s motives in wanting him as a General anyway?)

Alibaba sighs, scratching at the back of his neck.

“I hear you’re marching out in a few days. Well,” she amends, “I hear the army is.”

“Kouen- er, _Lord_ Kouen wants me to stay here.” Alibaba shrugs. “I don’t get why, though.”

“He must have his reasons,” Kougyoku muses. “Would you rather go with him?”

The answer is automatic and honest, “no.”

Kougyoku laughs again, and Alibaba is happy to hear it sounds real. “You certainly have an interesting relationship with my brother.”

“He’s…intimidating.”

She smiles, resting her chin on her palm. “Can I ask you something, Alibaba?”

“Mm.”

Kougyoku’s expression turns uncharacteristically somber as her eyes fix to the surface of the water, one finger dipping down to draw ripples across it. “Why did you agree to follow my brother?”

“What?”

“In Balbadd, I thought you were just visiting. I thought maybe King Sinbad sent you as an envoy for the summit, but then you came back here after it was over. And, back in Balbadd, when I told you I’d become a General, you said ‘you too.’”

 “Eh-”

“You agreed to follow my brother?”

“I…did.”

“Why?” Kougyoku fixes her eyes on him, patient.

“I just-” He comes up short. It’s not like he can tell her that Kouen – her _brother_ – underhandedly forced him into it, or the conditions said agreement came with.

“I thought you and King Sinbad were friends, but…”

“Kougyoku…”

“He didn’t… _make_ you, did he? He can be relentless when it comes to this kind of thing.”

“I…” Alibaba takes a breath, ignoring the voice in his head that insists he tell Kougyoku the truth. It isn’t that he thinks she can’t handle it – in fact, she can probably handle it better than he’s handled keeping the information to himself, but…

He just…can’t.

“He didn’t make me do anything.” Alibaba flashes what he hopes is a reassuring smile. “I’m here because I want to be.”

At least, he thinks, it’s not a complete lie. While he doesn’t enjoy the Kou Empire as a whole, he doesn’t mind spending time with certain people in it – Kougyoku and…well, maybe just Kougyoku.

“If you’re certain.” She sounds unsure, fingers drifting back towards the water.

“I am- _hey_!”

The misplaced tension is broken as Kougyoku flicks water from the lake in his direction, hitting him square in the face. She laughs as he splutters, the boat rocking with his sudden jerk.

“What was that for?”

Kougyoku sticks her tongue out in response, more childish than Alibaba has ever seen her. Childish, or maybe carefree. This is her home country after all, she probably feels much more at ease, even with all the imperialism-

“ _Hey_!”

“Keep spacing out, I’ll do it again” She threatens, but with a smile wide enough to show the dimples in her cheeks.

“I’m not spacing out, I’m _thinking_ -” He stops short as her hand moves in the water.

Her smiles stays in place for a moment before it dissolves into laughter, and while Alibaba is glad she’s been laughing so often today, he’s getting tired of it being at his expense.

“I’ll retaliate.”

“Will you?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“You could have done it already.”

“I have a very resilient temperament.”

Kougyoku snorts, though it’s quiet, like she had tried to smother the noise.

“I do!”

“The first time we met, you were yelling yourself hoarse.”

“Different circumstances!”

“Are they?”

“ _Yes_!”

“You’re yelling now,” she points out.

“You’re _making_ me!” He almost whines.

She looks away, giving him a little shrug, the epitome of a disinterested princess. The only things that give her away are the soft chuckles that barely reach his ears.

Alibaba huffs, determination setting into his bones. For the moment, he can forget about Sinbad and Ren Kouen and the threats they both pose. For the moment, he can focus on reaching out and grabbing Kougyoku’s middle, bodily hauling her half-way out the boat.

Her chuckling turns into yelps, though it sounds no less amused. “ _Alibaba_! No!”

“ _Now_ who’s laughing?” He brags, unable to help the grin that spreads across his lips as Kougyoku tries to gain the upper hand.

“Do you know how long these robes take to dry? I’ll be soaked for _hours_!” She shifts around, trying to lean away from the water.

“You’ll survive,” he teases.

“ _Vine_ -!”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” On instinct, Alibaba takes the golden pin from Kougyoku’s hair, holding it out of her reach.

Two things happen at once.

The first; Alibaba grabs not only Vinea’s pin, but the trinket that holds the rest of her hair up as well. Maroon tumbles down in waves, blocking his view and hitting him with the strong scent of flowery perfume – he has barely a moment to think that the smell suits Kougyoku before the second thing occurs.

True to Alibaba’s own luck, he misjudges his weight as he holds Kougyoku’s pin out of reach. Without warning, the boat tips, sending both occupants overboard with sudden screams. Alibaba hits the water with little grace, narrowly avoiding the boat as it resurfaces upside-down. He barely gets in a breath before something pulls him under the warm water.

This time, Alibaba resurfaces underneath the boat, coming face to face with a pouting Kougyoku. She’s hanging onto the centerboard of the boat, keeping herself above the water without having to move her feet.

She relaxes when he comes up from the water, blowing air out her lips. “Now we’re both soaked.”

“Well…at least we’re soaked together?”

For a moment, they hold each other’s eyes. It doesn’t last long, overtaken by giggling on both their accounts.

It’s dim underneath the boat, but not so dim that Alibaba can’t see. The sun reflects from underneath them, painting a warm glow across the inside of the boat, and he takes the chance to properly survey the princess.

Around her, Kougyoku’s hair spills into the water, stick-straight from the water until it hits the surface, fanning around her like clouds. She looks different with her hair down; her features softer, her eyes brighter.

Alibaba wonders if he’s imagining that last part.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s just water.” She grins. “It can’t hurt me.”

“It probably wouldn’t want to,” he agrees.

“Oh! Vinea’s pin-”

“Got it,” he lifts one of his hands, waving the pin in the air. Doing so disrupts his balance, so he quickly grabs the centerboard with his free hand, steadying himself before he goes under.

His fingers land atop Kougyoku’s.

Alibaba’s cheeks warm before hers do, but he doesn’t move them.

Ren Kouen’s words come back to haunt him.

Kougyoku’s fingers twitch underneath his, clearing his mind.

“Alibaba?”

“Yeah?”

“Are _you_ okay?”

“It’s just water,” he repeats her words.

“That’s not what I mean.”

Alibaba’s words catch in his throat. He doesn’t know how to answer. Neither of his roads lead to good ends – lie and make Kougyoku think that he can’t trust her with his problems, or tell the truth and shatter her image of her family and King Sinbad.

He settles somewhere between the two. “I don’t know.”

“Is it because of my brother?”

“Sort of, but…not completely.” Alibaba manages a smile “You have good intuition.”

“Not always. I think…it’s easy for me to understand you.” Kougyoku gives a small smile of her own.

They fall into comfortable silence, at least until it begins to teeter on the edge of something anxious.

Alibaba licks his lips, glancing up at the top of the boat. His voice comes out softer than he intends. “We should probably turn this back over.”

“Yeah,” Kougyoku answers, equally soft.

Alibaba brings his eyes back to her, and his breath wants to hitch in his chest. Maybe it’s her smile, or how open her expression is, or even how close she is to him, but something about her just _strikes_ him.

His breath comes out a little faster, and he is acutely aware of how Kougyoku’s fingers feel underneath his own. Alibaba swallows – he can see himself reflected in Kougyoku’s eyes; he doesn’t think he’s ever been this close to someone before.

At least, not to someone he has the sudden urge to kiss.

And it _is_ a sudden urge, though to be honest it’s been one in the back of his mind since returning from the summit. Most of his days are spent in the company of the Ren family as a whole, now that he’s officially considered a General for their cause, but Kougyoku always drags him off after the meetings to spend time on their own, and-.

It would be easier, if she was a despicable person, but she isn’t. She’s the furthest thing from it.

That…complicates things.

Before Alibaba knows what he’s doing, his head is lowering, moving even closer to Kougyoku in the little space they have. Kougyoku’s lips are parted, and she’s staring up at him in surprise, but she isn’t moving away.

Soon enough, they’re sharing the same air. Alibaba takes a breath, licking his lips again, and he doesn’t miss that Kougyoku’s eyes follow the movement before darting back up to his eyes.

Once again, Alibaba’s luck proves that he is his own enemy, because instead of closing the distance between them like every part of his body is screaming at him to do, words come tumbling out of his mouth. “We should probably head back.”

“Oh.” Kougyoku still looks surprised, but it’s a different kind of surprise. An unhappy kind of surprise.

Alibaba wants to wince, but he can’t seem to get his body to cooperate with his emotions.

“I-. Alright.”

“I’m supposed to meet with Koumei,” Alibaba adds, babbling, “before they leave tomorrow. Important…army stuff.”

“Oh.”

“It’s probably nothing, but-”

“No, you should go. It could be important.”

Alibaba lets out a slow sigh. “Yeah.”

“Yeah,” she nods, looking away from him.

Alibaba takes the reprieve to hang his head, disbelief and horror curling at his stomach.

_What is **wrong** with me?_

-

“What’s the matter with him?”

Kougyoku hums quietly as Ka Koubun watches Alibaba stagger down the hall, still caught in the utter silence – embarrassment? – he’d been in the entire trip back to the palace.

“You’re soaking wet, Princess. You should change.”

“Alibaba tried to kiss me.”

“He _what_?”

“At least, I think he did.” She sighs, pressing her fingers to her cheek. “I’m not entirely sure.”

“Princess!”

“Is it normal for a man to stop himself from kissing someone? Or…does that mean he doesn’t like them after all?”

“I…I…am _not_ the person you should be asking.” Koubun shakes his head. “No, I think this question is best suited to one of your brothers. Perhaps Lord Kouha?”

Kougyoku huffs, “no, I think I’ll take care of this myself.” She inhales sharply, “ _Alibaba_!”

Koubun splutters as Kougyoku calls down the hall, turning the heads of the servants along the way. Alibaba turns back around, mouth agape.

“You tried to kiss me?” She demands.

The shade of red Alibaba turns is impressive, as are the disbelieving looks on the servants’ faces.

“ _Well_?”

“Yes!” He squeaks, sounding nothing like the prince Koubun remembers from Balbadd.

“Well,” Kougyoku nods, and Kobun can see the tips of her ears burning. “Alright, then.”

Kougyoku spins, putting her back to Alibaba. “Next time,” she calls, and Koubun is faced with the entirety of her blush, “…you needn’t stop.”

Before Alibaba can react, or if Koubun can determine if he even heard the Princess’ words, Kougyoku rushes down the hall, turning a corner and disappearing from sight.

Koubun turns back to Alibaba, only to see him doing the same.

Something deep inside Koubun shivers – _dread_.

Princess Kougyoku having a crush on a very unattainable Sinbad is one thing, but her having feelings for a General very in her reach could be incredibly damaging to Koubun’s plans, in the long run.

This, he’ll have to report.

-

(Ka Koubun is horrified, when he dutifully reports his findings to Ren Kouen, that the man seems _pleased_.)

 


End file.
